DOOM U: An Introduction to Developing Protagonists & Antagonists / Descriptive Writing Exercise
Lesson One
DOOM U: An Introduction
Perhaps the single best piece of writing advice I’ve ever received wasn’t even writing advice at all, but instead life advice, from filmmaker Baz Luhrmann’s unlikely and mostly forgotten 1997 hit “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen).” In a song that features line after line of solid do’s and dont’s meant specifically for the graduates of ‘97, one line in particular always stood out to me above all the rest: “Know the rules, even if you don't follow them.” Sure, it’s the kind of advice that’s helpful in almost any situation, but I’ve found it to be particularly true in my many experiments with writing.
You see, you have to understand how the system works before you can effectively strip it down and build something new with all the parts. Think of it as a vehicle. You must know how an engine works before you can make any improvements to it.
If you try something different without truly understanding the basics of the craft, then most likely the end result won’t be as interesting to others as you may have hoped. Oftentimes, cutting corners will only expose how little you know about what you do.
Then again, a cookie cutter plot filled with stereotypical characters doesn’t make for all that interesting of a read either, at least not to folks who read more than five books in their lifetime. Yes, there are rules to writing, and you should know them, however if you follow them to a T, it’s almost guaranteed to make your writing… well, quite dull.
It’s complicated, right?
The rules of writing can and should be broken, but your ability to pull this off effectively depends on whether or not you’ve mastered the basics. If you don’t understand the generic plot devices readers have been conditioned with, then how could you possibly know the right time and place to turn your story on its head and completely blow your reader’s mind?
My hope is that these DOOM U lessons will help you to understand the basics of creative writing AND how you can use that knowledge to push your story into places no one has ever gone before.
These lessons have been designed to build upon one another, so that by the end of the course, you will have written a complete story.
Even better, the lessons can be used repeatedly to create story after story after story, until finally they’ve become so ingrained in your mind that the creative process becomes second nature to you.
More than just a standard ‘learn how to write’ program, DOOM U is a series of imagination exercises meant to challenge your current writing processes. Amateur writers stand to gain the most from these lessons, however, even seasoned writers will find themselves thinking in ways they never have before. This is what sets DOOM U apart from all other writing courses.
Alright, enough explaining. Let’s have some fun, shall we?